Educational and amusement device



. GALLEAZZI.

EDUCATIONAL AND AMUSEMENT DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 25. 1920.

Patented Aug. 2, 1921.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH GALLEAZZI, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

EDUCATIONAL AND AMUSEMENT DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 2, 1921.

Application filed October 25, 19 20. Serial No. 419,299.

.Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Educational and Amusement Devices, of wh1ch the fol.-

. lowing is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in educational devices and resides in the provision of a novel, simply constructed and efficient device of this character which may be effectively used by school teachers, 1nstructors and the like, particularly in the teaching of children, said device operating in such a way as to create interest and provide amusement whereby the instruction will be more impressive.

An object of the invention is to provide a device of the character described in which indicia such as the names of the Presidents of the United States, or State capitals, or numbers, dates or any other indicia will be presented in a unique manner so that they may be viewed and read, the operation of the device being such that upon each turning of a crank handle employed to operate the device, different indicia will appear and it will not be possible to determine in advance just what form of or just what particular indicia will be presented.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for regulating the display of indicia, so that, for instance, in the case of rows of numbers to be read and called out by the persons receiving the instruction or test, it is possible to display one or more of such numbers as desired.

The invention possesses other advantages and features some of which, with the fore: going will be set forth at length in the fol lowing description where I-shall outline in full that form of the invention which I have selected for illustration in the drawings accompanying and forming a part of the present specification. In said drawings 1 have shown one form of the construction of my invention, but it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to such form since the invention as expressed in the claims may be embodied in a plurality of forms.

Referring to the drawings Figure 1 is a front elevation of the educational and amusement device of my invention. I

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the device.

Fig. 3 is an end elevation, broken away and showing the arrangement of certain of the operating parts.

Fig. 4 is a rear elevation of the device with the rear wall or cover removed.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 55 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary front, elevation of a detail of the invention.

Referring to the present embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings,

there is preferably provided a rectilinear casing 1 which houses the mechanism of the invention and is provided with a removable rear wall 2, whereby access to the mechanisms may be had.

Mounted within the casing 1 is a mechanism for presenting to view along an opening or slot 3 arranged horizontally in the front wall 4 of the casing, indicia of an interesting nature. This means comprises a horizontal rotary shaft 5 extending through the casing and suitably j ournaled in bearings 6 provided in opposite walls 7 of the casing. The shaft projects out through both walls 7 and on one projecting end has a crank handle 8 suitably affixed thereto so as to provide for rotation of the shaft. On the other end of the shaft a pinion 9 is fixed and said pinion meshes with a larger gear 10 rotatably mounted as at 11 upon one of the walls 7 of the casing. Loosely mounted upon the shaft abut so as to be rotated by the shaft when the latter is rotated are a plurality of circular disks 12 which carry at suitably spaced points upon the peripheries thereof the indicia generally designated 13 and which a're to be presented to view at the slot or opening 3. The disks 12 are mounted so that they may revolve relatively but will rotate with the shaft due to the frictional engagement. thereof with said shaft. There may be provided small washers 14 between the disks so as to prevent sticking of the disks to one another. As shown in Fi s. 1 and 2 the indicia are in the form of nunibers on some of the disks so as to present a va- -rious combination of figures, for example,

in numbers of 10 figures. On other of the disks the indicia represent the days, months,

and dates as well as the time both A. M. and P; M.- whereby a combination of subject matter as shown in Fig. 1, reading October 12, Friday, A. M. and any or all of the ten figures, may beipresented. If desired, the names of Presidents of the United ,States or capitals of the various States or any other indicia which are instructive or interesting may be carried on the peripheries of the disks. 1

I provide means for causing the relative rotation of the" disks during theoperation of the device so as to present different indicia at the openingor slot 3 for each operation of the device. Incarrying this out, I providejon the peripheries of the disks a plurality of rows of stop members 15. These members are adapted to engage a stop and releasing bar 16 which is pivoted at its ends as at 17 to the wall 7 and extends across the row of disks on the rear side thereof. The bar 16 is adapted to be moved into and out'of position to be engaged by said step members 15. To provide for moving the bar 16into and out of position, a cam member 18 is fixed upon the inner side of the gear 11. This cam member is adapted to engage a rocker arm 19 pivoted as at 20 to v the adjacent wall 7. The arm 19 carries a pin 21 adapted to strike an extension 22 of the bar 16 and cause the bar to be rocked on its pivots. A retractile spring 23 is secured as at 24 to the adjacent wall 7 and as at 25 to the bar 16 so as to normally hold said bar in position to be engagedby said stops.

I provide means for regulating the amount of indicia that is to be displayed and said means is in the form of an arcuateshutter on plate 27 provided'atits ends with right angular "extensions 28 pivotally mounted upon the shaft 5. This shutter regulates the size of the opening-3. One of the extelr sions 28 is provided witha sleeve 29 which surrounds the shaft and extends out through one of the walls 7 As lever 30 is operated the plate 27 is moved so as topresent a portion thereof between the opening 3 and 7 those of the'disks that are to-be concealed.

7 h ind the plate.

To facilitate the operation of this means, a notched member 32 is fiXed to one of the walls 7 so 'asto be concentric with the shaft 5 and said lever is arranged to 'operateover the notches of said member 32 as shown at Fig. 2. Each notch will be numbered, there being in this instance 10 of such notches. In moving the lever from the notch to be displayed; When the lever is at the first notch, only one number will be displayed, as all the rest will be concealed be-- It will thus be seen that with this means, it is possible to display one or more as desired, of the different subeot matters or indicia on the peripheries of the disks.

Operation.

before the cam 18 carried by said large gear moves into the position to engage and rock the arm 19. As soon as this cam engages and rocks said arm 19 the pin 21 upon said arm will engage the extension 22 on the bar 16 and rock said bar so that it will move to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 5, out of the path of said stop members 15. As soon as this takes place, the disks 15 rotate by frictional engagement thereof with the shaft 5. Since the disks depend upon this frictional engagement for their rotation, 7

they will not be rotated correspondingly as some of the disks will have a tendency to slip relative to the shaft while the others will be more directly rotated. This results in the relative rotation of the disks and causes the indicia to be ehangedas to being presented at the opening 3. After the cam 18 has moved free of the arm 19, the spring 23 returns the bar 16 to normal position and as the stop members contact with said bar, the disks are brought into'the position'so that the indicia thereon will aline and be presented at the opening 3. The disks are prevented from being further rotated as soon as the stop members 15 engage the bar 16. It will thus beseen that upon every turning operation during which the cam 18 moves, the bar 16 out of position and the spring 23 returns said bar to normal position, the disks will be rotated. differently and the indioia'presented each time will be di'E- terent. This element of uncertainty enhances the value of the device as it creates an interest which is amusing and makes the instruction impressive. By the moving olthe lever 30, the size of the opening 3 may be regulated by action of the shutter 27 so that only part of the'indicia will be presented while the other part is hidden. In the case of numbers, where the object is to have the pupils call off the numbers as they are presented at the opening 3, for primary instruction, only a few such numbers are presented, and whenproficiency is reached in readily recognizing and calling off a few numbers, the showing of numbers may be increased by adjustment of saidshutter.

rality of stop members on said disks, stops 10 with which said stop members are adapted to engage to hold the disks against rotation upon the shaft, and means operated by rotation of the shaft for moving said stops out of stopping position whereby the disks are is free to rotate with the shaft.

JOSEPH GALLEAZZI. 

